Luz Verde - Seduce and Destroy

BEST GUACAMOLE IN PARIS.

Now that I have your attention . . . where the hell have I been?  You may wonder, or not.  I could say I have been in restaurant reviewing purgatory after that little episode last June in Le Servan when I knocked a half litre bottle of water to the floor, whereupon it shattered into a thousand pieces, leaving a piercing sound in my ears to this day.  Don't blame me.  I can't help it if the Moose dragged me to the Vodka Lab around the corner on rue St. Maur where we found ourselves at the mercy of a benevolent entrepreneur who for some reason deemed us test subjects for tasting trials of every unknown variety of Russian vodka on the planet.  Or it may have been that faux pas I repeatedly commit when I wander into Paris cafes during my photo treks demanding a glass of red wine without first asking what they have to offer by the glass.  I could go on.  But I won't.

At any rate, I am back to seduce and destroy.  Actually, that sounds good, but my mission here is not so much to destroy the typical template for Paris restaurant reviews which, however accurate, are BORING, but to guide, admire, discover, and recommend in as casual a manner as whatever my relative state of sobriety allows.  I digress.

I've been doing a lot of eating in the months since my Clown Bar review.  (Was that really in 2017?).  I hope you were sitting down when you read that.  To precise (as we French are fond of saying), eating in restaurants.  But lately I've been getting into the lunch circuit and have much to relate.  I begin by Luz Verde, a small taqueria on quiet rue Henry Monnier, a couple blocks walk from the not-so-quiet center of Pigalle.  At Luz Verde you will find the BEST GUACAMOLE IN PARIS.  Would I joke about something as momentous as that?  I know what you're thinking.  Best guacamole in Paris - ben, that ain't saying much.  That is true.  The bar for good guacamole in Paris is low.  Very low.  Typically, what you will find in French Mexican restaurants is a cup of tasteless, creamy avocado accompanied by a small basket of stale nacho chips.  Let me tell you something about nacho chips in Paris restaurants.  They are ALWAYS stale.  I can't for the life of me explain why that is the case, but trust me on that.  Which is one reason the guacamole at Luz Verde is worth the visit.  On the two occasions I tried the dish, a full basket was brought to the table bearing nacho chips that were relatively fresh.  Not only that, the guacamole was somewhat chunky, very tasty, and arrived in a large bowl accompanied by refried red beans, large coriander leaves (the closest thing to cilantro you will find in a Paris restaurant), tomato, red pepper, onion, and lime.  Certainly in the same ballpark as the many dishes of genuine guacamole I sampled during my various visits to Monterrey, Mexico.  Have a look.

Luz Verde's guacamole: a meal in itself, and the dish is yours for €9

Luz Verde also has received strong positive reviews for its tacos and I can't disagree there.  During my first visit I opted for the tacos de poulet duo (€7) pictured below.  The second visit, I gave the tacos de gambas a shot (€9).  Fresh and tasty, with one big gripe.  You cannot pick these babies up.  Believe me, I tried.  The first time, I got the message and quickly shoved them into my half eaten bowl of guacamole.  This was a mess - the 'destroy' part of the title (see photo), and probably a good thing that there were few in the restaurant at that point in the afternoon to observe my uncouth eating behavior.  Things were worse with the gambas - don't get me wrong, the gambas were large and seductive, so much so that I quickly tried to bring the taco to my mouth and half of its contents quickly fell onto the table.  I quickly scooped everything up and shoved what I could salvage into the guacamole bowl.  I'm telling you, once I obtained a small cup of hot sauce from the waiter and threw that in with the rest of the slop, the meal was excellent.  Etiquette begone.

Chicken tacos before I tried to eat them.

One of the aforementioned chicken tacos several minutes after I tried to pick it up to eat.

One drawback to Luz Verde at lunch is the limited carte, lacking some of the more intriguing items available at night, such as guindillas, poulpe, and couteaux al ajilla.  Maybe I just got there too late in the afternoon, but one advantage to that is this (see below).

And this:

Because if you go at night - no reservations taken - you can expect this:

Because Luz Verde is a popular night spot for the denizens of Pigalle, with a nice list of cocktails to slake one's thirst:

I slummed it with glasses of serviceable Tramonte at €5 a pop during my two lunch visits.

Voila.  Finally a decent Mexican restaurant in Paris.

I'll tell you more about some good Paris lunches and lament some bad ones in a subsequent post.  Unless I suffer a return trip to restaurant reviewing purgatory.  But I will be back.

Luz Verde kitchen - seduce & destroy

LUZ VERDE
24 rue Henry Monnier
75009 Paris
tel: 01 70 23 69 60
website:  www.luzzverde.fr

Cost of lunches described above: €21 (one glass of wine, chicken tacos) and €28 (two wines, gambas tacos).

Distrito Frances - Getting There

DISTRITO FRANCES

You have to hand it to the folks behind this small Mexican venue in Paris 10 on rue Faubourg Saint Marin, just around the corner from the Strasbourg Saint-Denis metro -  they didn't opt for the expected Mexican name to dub their establishment.  Which is probably why I keep forgetting the name until I pull out their card.  At any rate, this is a decent, low-key spot to grab a pretty good Mexican lunch.  I wish I could say more, but no, Distrito Frances does not fully succeed at reinventing the Mexican restaurant in Paris or the traditional taco, as claimed at Paris Bouge.  More original than any other Mexican venue I've eaten at in Paris - which isn't saying much, granted - it fails to satisfy that gaping hole in the Parisian landscape that beckons for a truly great Mexican dining experience - spicy salsas, variety, something like El Atoradero in the Bronx.  Need I say it, Paris ain't the Bronx, so we take what we can get.  And one thing we get at Distrito Frances is a terrific dish called Pollo Popodop (6.50€), which consists of two chicken brochettes - yawn, I know, but wait - these are really good. The chicken is marinated in spiced sugar and coated with a popcorn,cornflakes, fresh mint and coriander mixture, served with a forgettable sauce (I forget what it was) that was not really needed anyway.  Here's my photo - if any camera can make this dish look bad, it is the one I was using:

Pollo Popodop - a lot tastier than they look in this photo.

I followed up this brochette entry with a trio of crusty quinoa vegetarian tacos - the so-called Jose 'Crispy' Smooth dish (10€ for 3; 12€ for 4) - stuffed with avocado, green peppers (where jalapenos were called for), onions, and pickled cabbage - messy, but pretty good, and only messy because I kept slavering on heavy doses of a hardly spicy at all red sauce and limes presented in  small bowls.  Look, I know the French aren't very partial to spicy foods, but the option should be available.  One of the helpful, amiable servers informed me when I was paying that if I was looking for something more authentic, I should try the Bang Bang! pork tacos, cooked in a banana leaf with Yucantan sauce, something you might want to give a shot.  Minus the tortilla chips and drink (I went with wine), this photo from the Paris Bouge site basically shows - in much greater clarity - my lunch:

Try to grab one of the few tables in the cosier back room, with view of the kitchen.  There's also a counter with stools in the front - go alone or with friends for a quick, inexpensive lunch, but also opened for dinner.

Distrito Frances interior

DISTRITO FRANCES  ('Mexican soul food X French touch')

10 rue du Faubourg Sain Martin                                                                                                                75010 Paris                                                                                                                                              Tel: 01 40 37 51 80    Web: http://distritofrances.fr

Anahuacalli - Take That Marguerita And Shove It

Anahuacalli has long been registered in the locals' minds as the go-to place in Paris for decent Mexican grub.  Bear in mind, that's not saying much, since Mexican restaurants in Paris mostly suck, and that's putting it gently, especially when they are labelled 'Tex Mex."  Avoid at all costs, trust me.  Getting back to Anahuacalli, don't get too excited - it sucks, too.

Which doesn't mean you can't have an enjoyable evening with good friends and significant other, which is exactly what Co. and I experienced about a month ago on a Friday night in February.  Hell, I've long learned that when you drink enough tequilla, you can have an enjoyable night anywhere, regardless of poor service and mediocre food, which basically describes what's in store at Anahuacalli.

This wasn't a first visit to said locale for yours truly.  I checked out the venue shortly after their opening, something like a good 20 years ago.  What I remember is somewhat above average Mexican cuisine and a futile effort on the part of our server to overcharge us on the wine.  So admittedly, I didn't have a very good attitude going into this, and that wasn't lessened when I called to reserve and basically had to rely on a series of grunts and coughs to make myself understood to someone who's French was even worse than mine, if that is possible.

At any rate, we received a warm welcome, and were placed at a choice corner table, perhaps in part due to the fact that our friends were periodic patrons.  On their part, you can't beat a decent margarita, and they sometimes got some decent ones at Anahuacalli - as in, hit or miss.  On this evening in question, it was a large swing and miss.  Not being a margarita drinker myself - unless pressed, lightly - I probably wouldn't be the best judge of quality, but when I saw my friends ordering side shots of tequilla to spice up their cocktails, the writing was on the wall.

On to the food.  On the table upon arrival was the obligatory bowl of nacho chips and, for once in a Parisian Mexican, they weren't overly salty and stale.  Our entree consisted of a shared combination platter for four, the "surtido de entradas."  This was a pretty good way to start off, consisting as it did of guacamole, taquitos. ceviche, nopalitos, and tostada de boeuf.  Decent, but unspectacular guacamole and an above-average ceviche.  Here's what it looked like:

Surtido de Entradas entree

It was all downhill from there.  It took so long for our main plates to arrive, I swear, at some point I just completely forgot I was sitting in a restaurant having a meal and just figured I was hanging out with friends over a few drinks.  Eventually, when one of my dinner companions politely inquired of our waitress whether the kitchen had closed and no one had bothered to inform us, she explained that it was the fish that I had ordered that took long to prepare. Of course I had to order this dish, on the basic premise that any food that is flambeed with tequilla must be truly excellent.  Unfortunately, 
when the fish dish arrived, I wondered how exactly all that time had been utilized, because there was absolutely nothing special about it - it was downright nothing to write home about - or wait for an eternity for, whichever comes first.

Pescada a la Veracruzana - wait forever to be disappointed

Meanwhile, Co. had a chance to dig into her assortment of pollo en salsa verde, cochinita pibil, barbacoa, and frijoles negra, which sounds pretty fancy until you hear Co. blurt out, 'Isnt' this the same thing I just ate for the entree?'

Tacos de la Merced - deja vu?

Our friends weren't much more satisfied with their dishes, enchiladas verdes and something else.  The bill, including a bottle of wine, a couple tequillas, and several margaritas, a couple of which were graciously comped in response to a negative review, somehow barely cracked the century mark (102 euros), which is some small solace. 

So the verdict is in - Anahuacalli offers a very nice ambiance to spend a long evening catching up with good friends, at a reasonable price, and assuming you don't pay much attention to the food and service. 

I remember a very good, genuine Mexican - or was it Guatemalan - on the corner of rues Rambuteau and Quincampoix that is now long gone.  Will somebody please open up another restaurant like that in Paris? And if it already exists, please tell me about it.

ANAHUACALLI
30 rue des Bernardins
75005 Paris
tel: 01 43 26 26 53
website: http://www.r-m-g.fr/uk/restaurant-gastronomique-mexicain-paris-site-officiel.php#restaurant-gastronomique-mexicain-anahuacalli-notre-dame-paris-5.php

April in Paris Wrapup - From Blech to Bravo

Back in Paris after my short swing through eastern Brittany, still dodging raindrops, but some catching up to do.  Fine eating is an integral part of life, but life is not all about eating, and indeed my recent Parisian cultural highlights bear mentioning, even if they entailed only the liquid variety of ingestion.  First there was the Ballet De L'Opera's homage to Jerome Robbins and a return of Mats Ek's Appartement.  The JR set may have been way too ballet retro for my own tastes, but the modern Appartement really hit the spot, especially the dances La Television, Marche des Aspirateurs, and Grand Pas de Deux, with the dancers accompanied onstage by he Fleshquartet.  Here's an idea, although in the video Alice Renavand (who I saw) is replaced by Sylvie Guillem.

Next up, I caught the rising star Sharon Van Etten at Point Ephemere.  If you've got to do, then you've got to do it, as expected, a terrific performance.  If you missed her and her band this time, she'll be back in Paris at La Maroquinerie on 24 May.

And now, on to the food.  Regular readers of this blog know I am a big fan of La Gazzetta, so it won't surprise you to hear that Co. and I had another terrific meal there, benefiting from Petter Nilsson's menu for the week of 26 April to 6 May.

 

What I like about Monsieur Nilsson is that he doesn't stop experimenting and creating - his 7-course meals are always inventive.  That means his dishes may include some misses, but mostly they are hits, including the Bouillie d'orties...(1st photo below) and the ravioles de carottes (2nd photo below).  Bravo.

 

 

 

LA GAZZETTA

29, rue de Cotte

75012 Paris

tel: 01 43 47 47 05   web: lagazzetta.fr 

Edging into May, despite this entry's pithy title, a reunion of sorts with The Moose, fresh in town from his worldly travels.  After the obligatory pit stop at that little bar across from the Verlain Hotel on rue St. Maur, heavy with Johnny Cash on the evening in question, we took the metro over to Le Marais and the little tanqueria (Mexican cantine) Candaleria, a few minutes walk from the Filles de Calvaire stop and the Cirque d'Hiver.  If Lefooding.com's weekly preferred restaurants link for the hip and wonderful local celebs is to be believed, Candaleria must be the place.  It was a bad sign when I peered through the restaurant's window and wondered where the restaurant was, because all I saw was a spatially-challenged version of a kebab carry-out, packed to the gills with the three or four stools at the counter taken, the two or three tables in the front filled with small groups of cute 20-somethings with no apparent intention to budge for the rest of the evening.  The rest of the place was occupied by diners standing with taco in hand.  The Moose quickly turned pale, but I lingered long enough to check out the chicken scratch on what apparently served as the menu on the wall and noticed that the tacos and tostados on view looked like the real deal.  Alas, another time.  Unseen from the rue de Saintonge location(but visible once you round the corner) is Candaleria's hidden, funky little lounge that specializes in varieties of tequilla, meaning I will most definitely be back.  And no, you can't grab your tacos from the front to eat in the lounge.

 

CANDALERIA

52 rue de Saintonge

75003 Paris  

 tel.: +33 (0) 1 42 74 41 28   web: http://www.candelariaparis.com/

On Moose's recommendation, we hied over to a Candaleria alternative just around the corner, another bar & restaurant Latino-American themed spot, Bodega Bay.  In the near empty dining room, absolutely vast by Candaleria standards, I made my way through a perfectly square seafood chimichanga Pacifico (12.50€), with a side order of gambas Santa Cruz (6.50€).  It only occurred to me the following day that the chimichanga was supposed to contain seafood.  In a nutshell, I can sum up the meal at Bodega Bay thusly: blech.  Not that I had any expectations - this was an 'I need food' situation, not a gastronomic exploration, but I should have known better as soon as I saw the two apparently Pakistani cooks in the kitchen.

 

BODEGA BAY

116, rue Amelot

75011 Paris

tel: 01 43 55 83 77      web:   http://www.bodega-bay.fr/

No need to end on a sour note, I am happy to report.  Co. and I finally made a long-delayed return visit to Fabrique 4 where the really young couple Jade and Thibault hold court.  I've previously reviewed F4, so no need to rehash the details, just a couple quick observations.  The newly remodeled (at least since our last visit) restaurant is handsome and welcoming, once you get past the locals drinking, smoking, and chatting with Thibault.  Co. and I, aged codgers that we are, typically reserve during the early 8 pm hour.  By 9 pm the small bistro still was nearly empty and we rued another quality establishment falling on undeserved hard times.  Nonetheless, the bus must have pulled up at 9:30 pm, because couple after couple started entering for dinner.  The moral of this story is that F4 gets rocking late.  The food doesn't reach the quality standard set by La Gazzetta, but we couldn't complain about our dinner, which makes it a hat trick, this being our third straight satisfying visit.  And the dishes are copious.  You won't leave F4 hungry, I assure you.

 

 

What you see below, in order: the original maquereaux/maki, gaspacho (a highlight, with its healthy dollops of tourteau (crab), the ample bouillabaisse F4, vol au vent, and the homemade rhubarb/strawberry tartelette.  You'll have to check out the cheesecake on your own - you won't be disappointed.  With a Cahors '09 carafe and no menu deals, the bill for two three-course dinners, wine, and an espresso to finish up came to 122€.  F4 - a nice spot to add to your list.

 

FABRIQUE 4
17 rue Brochant
75017 Paris
tel: 01 58 59 06 47     web:  http://www.fabrique4.com/